Establishing of the first private autologous cord blood bank in Georgia at the German-Georgian Specialized Oncological Clinic.

German-Georgian Specialized Oncological Clinic is a private clinic located in Tbilisi, Georgia. Close collaboration with German clinics and research laboratories has enabled the clinic to study cord blood hematopoietic stem cells. These studies created a scientific basis for establishing a cord blood bank. A municipal grant from the city of Tbilisi allowed the clinic to establish a program for the support of families with oncohematological patients. The program collected and stored cord blood for families with oncohematological histories. This grant has also enabled the establishment of an autologous cord blood bank and created opportunity for cord blood banking in Georgia. Work on a national legal basis of cord blood banking together with the Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia is another important activity of the German-Georgian Oncological Clinic.